[SOLVED] Identify this code pls

business_kid · 12-16-2018, 12:26 PM

In lines 493, & 494 (of 709) in my dmesg output I see this and am curious

Code:

[    1.132569] microcode: sig=0x306a9, pf=0x10, revision=0x15
[    1.132762] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.2.

By that stage we have seen ram, acpi, pci, keyboard/mouse, hard disk, and network stuff at least talked to.

What microcode is this? CPU? Why so late? I thought the other stuff was referred to as 'firmware.' I'm basically below the radar for Spectre/Meltdown stuff, and have a max of 1 VM alive at any time.

ferrari · 12-16-2018, 01:41 PM

Yes, that is CPU microcode-related. Check

Code:

cat /proc/cpuinfo

and you'll see the microcode version loaded (and consistent with value reported in your output).

RickDeckard · 12-16-2018, 02:40 PM

All that it's doing is identifying that it's running on a Core i7 CPU, and if you in fact are you have nothing to worry about.

BW-userx · 12-16-2018, 03:11 PM

Is that not the micro "bug" code fix update message letting the user know the CPU bug fix is in place?

Microcode

Code:

a very low-level instruction set that is stored permanently in a computer or
peripheral controller and controls the operation of the device.

and that is not code, it is a message.

business_kid · 12-17-2018, 05:21 AM

I'm on an i3, actually, which I suppose is an i7 with the turbocharger removed :-//.

Anyhow Thanks to all of you. I imagined that's what it was. Yes, /proc/cpuinfo tells me it's running on version 0x15, adressing

Code:

bugs		: cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass

I remember reading somewhere that they were up to version 32 of the microcode, but like I say, I'm going slow enough already thank you

I'm just surprised it wasn't loaded a lot sooner.